Download Why The Future of Influencer Marketing Starts With People And

The Influencer
Marketing Manifesto:
Why The Future of
Influencer Marketing
Starts With People
And Relationships
Not Popularity.
By Brian Solis
Custom research by Altimeter, a Prophet
Company, on behalf of TapInfluence
TAP1
Introduction
We’re all pretty familiar with celebrity endorsements.
Famous people (and things) can have a positive and
even influential impact on the consumer perception
and impression of a brand or product. In fact, 15%
of all advertisements feature celebrities.1 45% of
US adults believe that celebrities can make either
a large (11%) or some (33%) positive difference to
whatever it is they’re promoting. You currently see it
with Nespresso and George Clooney, Samsung and Lil
Wayne, Lincoln and Matthew McConaughey and the
list goes on.
While the cool factor is there for (some) consumers
and brand marketers, that doesn’t mean that celebrity
endorsements are driving brand relevance, resonance,
or revenue. In fact, in many cases, they’re exactly the
thing that consumers don’t want to see. Nielsen found
that people buy not because a celebrity tells them to,
but because their family and friends recommend it. In
its research, Nielsen learned that 92% of people trust
recommendations from people they know and 70% of
people trust peer experiences posted online.
So how can marketers tap into this consumer to
consumer network?
1. http://wallblog.co.uk/2015/05/12/infographic-can-celebrity-endorse
ments-influence-sales/
Table of
Contents
The Rise of Digital Influence
....................................................................................................................... 1
Hoverboards Start a Fire Among
Consumers….Literally ..................................................................................................................................................
2
Influencer Marketing Becomes a Thing ...........................................................................................
3
Influencer Marketing Takes Shape
This Way, That Way, Any Way ......................................................................................................................
4
You Can’t Buy Me Influence .............................................................................................................................
5
The Separation of Influence:
A View of Influence from Influencers
and Influence Marketers .....................................................................................................................................
6
Why Influencer Marketing? .............................................................................................................................
7
The Types of Engagement ...............................................................................................................................
8
Challenges of Influencer Marketing .....................................................................................................
10
The Value of Influencer Marketing ........................................................................................................
12
Influencer Management ..........................................................................................................................................
13
Measuring Influencer Marketing ..............................................................................................................
14
Popular Platforms for Influence Marketing ...................................................................................
15
Inspiration for Becoming an Influencer .............................................................................................
16
Influencer Marketing and
the Road Ahead ...................................................................................................................................................................
17
The Rise of
Digital Influence
Enter the digerati, the Internet’s version of celebrity
aka weblebrity aka creator aka influencer. These
individuals might not be in your favorite movie or TV
show, but they’re creating content that your consumers
are viewing and sharing in droves. Their version of
the small and silver screens are the most prominent
networks on social and mobile such as YouTube,
Instagram, Vine, Twitter, Snapchat, blogs, et al.
Some argue that the Internet famous aren’t real
celebrities. Millions of rabid audiences and fans argue,
however, that it’s a matter of perspective.
For example, U.S. teenagers are more enamored with
YouTube stars than they are the biggest celebrities
in film, TV and music according to a Variety survey.2
In fact, the five most influential personalities
among Americans ages 13 to 18 are all YouTubers,
surpassing the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Seth
Rogen. While a small portion of the overall influencer
universe, this group is the most highly visible when
people think of influencers.
And then there is the overwhelming majority of
influencers, everyday consumers who began blogging
or sharing their thoughts and ideas on social media,
and over time built a loyal and engaged following. This
group of influencers might not be household names
but they are the fuel of the new influence economy.
They focus on their passion areas, from fashion to
cooking to home improvement to life hacks, their
numbers continue to grow as consumers seek out
more and more specific information.
To digital marketers, this new army of online experts,
extroverts, and personalities reach fragmented and
elusive audiences where other traditional marketing
programs can’t. More so, they’re arguably more
relatable and seemingly approachable because they
share their real life on social media and thus introduce
a more authentic, collaborative form of engagement.
2. http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/survey-youtube-stars-more-pop ular-than-mainstream-celebs-among-u-s-teens-1201275245/
1
The difference is – and this is important – influencers
can carry the same weight as peers or “people like
me,” which is among the highest forms of influence
cited among consumers in study after study.
To digital marketers, this is where influencers have the
potential to live up to their moniker. To consumers,
they are bona fide influencers. They reinforce social
proof in all they do, even when not paid to do so. What
they wear, ride, listen to, where they go, intrigues and
inspires communities. This sparks trends and drives
transactions—not unlike traditional celebrities in the
right circumstances.
Digital influence, and influence in general, can convey
social proof, also known as informational social
influence: a psychological phenomenon where people
assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect
correct behavior for a given situation.
Hoverboards Start a Fire Among
Consumers….Literally
In late summer 2015, one of the hottest trends
was those now pesky (and extremely flammable)
hoverboards aka gliders. But how did that whole
phenomenon start? It’s one of the most interesting
examples of the power of digital influence. It
teaches us that traditional celebrity and even online
personalities/creators can truly influence consumers
if a more peer-to-peer approach, on a peer-topeer platform à la social media, can communicate a
compelling sense of want, FOMO, aspiration, et al.
It demonstrates the potential of a different form
of marketing.
In early 2015, PhunkeeDuck, an early distributor of these
devices, gave a board to Kendall Jenner. That’s really all
it took to set things ablaze. Her short video became a
viral sensation with over 1.1 million likes and who knows
how many views across all of her platforms.3
3. https://www.instagram.com/p/2HXaFiDo3X/
4. http://www.wired.com/2015/06/the-weird-story-of-the-viral-chinese-
scooter-phunkeeduck-io-hawk/
5. http://superfame.com/post/hoverboard-youtuber-viner/
2
As a result, celebrities began lining up for their ride
and each took to their favorite social media platforms
to share the experience. The likes of Justin Bieber,
Chris Brown, Nick Jonas, Soulja Boy, Nicki Minaj, Wiz
Khalifa, et al., amplified the reach, adding millions more
all in a short span of time.4 At the same time, Viners
and YouTubers also began shooting their shows while
on these two wheel stages.5 Rumor has it that one or
two of the earlier players also had a hand in placing
their products with the most connected creators to
show off their wares.
In the end, it was the must have product of 2015.
Every post shared from celebrities, creators and
everyday consumers on social media triggered social
proof at every level to further drive the proliferation
of this much loved (and equally or more so hated)
phenomenon.
Influencer Marketing
Becomes a Thing
Social. Media.
The above referenced example is one of a practically
infinite set that shows how the world of endorsements
and influence is shifting. Social media represents a
collective of consumer-to-consumer networks that
democratize relationships, connections, information
and also the ability to influence and be influenced.
It’s an incredible phenomenon, really. Social is a great
equalizer and it shifts the balance of power on almost
every front away from any one entity to anyone with
the ability to share.
For better or for worse, social also introduces new
opportunities for brands to connect with people and,
in turn, have people connect with others. Even though
brands have been all over social media since the
beginning, still, some get it and some don’t.
Social media is where consumers are having
conversations today, and one of the most impactful
byproducts to emerge is that of influencer marketing.
Now, influencer marketing is part of the everyday
marketing mix. At a high level, it is a form of branded
engagement where marketers connect with those who
boast prominent social footprints. The goal is to plug
into new communities and connect the brand/product
to new audiences through the voice and trusted
relationships of said influencer.
Take Maybelline for example – the company’s own
YouTube channel drives around 20,000 – 30,000
6. Dekker, Paul, and Eric M. Uslaner. 2001. ‘Introduction.’ Pp. 1 – 8 in Social Capital and Participation in Everyday Life, edited by Eric M. Uslaner. London: Routledge
3
views per video. Not bad. But the videos created by
influencers generate an average of 1.4 million views
per video – a clear indication that influencers generate
more interest in Maybelline products than its own
branded channel. Influencers expose the Maybelline
brand to new consumers, far better than the brand
could do on its own.
If you think about it…that’s really a big ask of anyone.
This means that brands have to look at this new
generation of would be influencers much differently
than they would traditional celebrities and paid
endorsements. Marketers must understand the
dynamics of relationships, community intentions,
aspirations and, more so, the constructs of social proof
and actual influence. The key to making engagement
work in these new frontiers is to appreciate,
empathetically, the currency between a creator and
their fans.
It’s not “reach” or popularity. It’s social capital, the
networks of relationships between creator and
community and how they function correctly. Social
capital is about the value of social networks, bonding
similar people – and bridging between diverse people
– with norms of reciprocity.6
Essentially, everyone, in their own way and to certain
extent, now possesses the power to influence.
Influencer Marketing
Takes Shape This Way,
That Way, Any Way
Even though the words “influence” and “influencer”
have been seized by marketers, their literal definitions
cannot be misconstrued. Yet, many influencer
marketers get either star struck or simply blinded
by numbers when setting out to identify influencers.
But influence is not popularity. Popularity can be a
byproduct of influence or authority.
What is influence, then, if it is not measured by the size
of one’s community or reach?
Influence is the ability to cause effect or change behavior.
Influence is not the act of trying to influence. Nor is an
influencer someone who simply has a lot of followers.
It should be very clear. Someone who influences does
so because they have the capacity to have effect on
something, regardless of followers or popularity.
This common misinterpretation between popularity
and influence has led influencer marketing to confuse
the principles of traditional celebrity endorsements
with the promise of social capital in digital networks.
And social celebrities and those who represent them
are capitalizing on these misperceptions. Entire
ecosystems have sprung up, helping them expand
their reach, build audiences, procure partnerships
and strategic alliances – and also broker endorsement
deals not unlike their celebrity counterparts.
When you base everything on numbers, i.e. number
of followers to qualify influencers, ROI becomes
impossible to justify.
4
Influence should be measured by assessing the
state of something in any given place at any time
and then assessing the effect of your work against
that benchmark. It’s cause and effect. So you have to
consider what is it you want to do, cause, change, etc.
Then identify the right people you want to reach, who
they follow, and what’s going to be of value to them.
Once you consider creators, you also have to evaluate
the relationship they have with their community,
their interests, and what it is about this engagement
that will help them improve their stature, community
engagement, and relationships.
When marketers don’t consider influence as cause and
effect, the marketing campaigns they craft can never
explore new possibilities or reach their potential. They
struggle to break free from the vanity metrics that hold
them back. Influencer marketing just becomes a new
tool used in old ways.
For example, in an effort to measure influence beyond
reach metrics, TapInfluence conducted a blind study
with Pinterest users. They found that on average 43%
of respondents actually purchased an item they found
on Pinterest either in-store or online.
You Can’t Buy Me Influence
In May 2016, an article appeared in Digiday that
seemed to capture the essence of what influencer
marketing often gets wrong.7 As part of its anonymous
confession series aimed at outing the worst practices
amongst marketers, Digiday published “Confessions
of a social media exec on influencer marketing.” This
exposé of sorts highlights the need for this discussion.
We need more conversations about what influencer
marketing is and is not so that we can come together
and build what it should be.
The article starts with what its author claims to be the
root of the influencer marketing problem: “We threw
too much money at them.”
This article of course sparked a web-wide debate
in the marketing community. Much of the discourse
revealed just how much marketers still need to learn.
Brand expert, and author of Social Media ROI, Olivier
Blanchard responded publicly to the anonymous
social media exec, challenging all the claims made in
the article as to why influencer marketing didn’t work…8
1) You just never gave the meaning of the term
“influencer” enough thought, and 2) you “threw
money” at random strangers instead of investing
it in well thought-out programs and valuable
relationships.
My experience as an “influencer” has been
interesting these last few years. I’ve identified
a few key influencer campaign manager
archetypes:
The PR pro turned Digital Influencer Outreach
Program Manager: “We can’t pay you, but we’ll fly
you to our event and pay for your hotel room and
give you access to our event so you can livetweet it and write a minimum of three blog posts
while there. Does that sound good?”
The legit digital influencer outreach program
manager: “We’ll fly you and cover your hotel. Can
you tell us what your fee is for live Twitter coverage
and 3 blog posts? We don’t want to pay for your
opinion but we will pay for your time.”
7. http://digiday.com/agencies/confessions-social-media-ex
ec-no-idea-pay-influencers/
8. https://www.facebook.com/olivier.a.blanchard/ posts/10154272237528530
5
The digital agency slapping an influencer
program onto a PR pitch: “Hey, I’m looking for
a chatbot influencer to cover an event for one
of our clients. Would you describe yourself as a
chatbot influencer?”
The digital agency slapping an influencer
program onto an in-house digital pitch: “How
many Twitter followers do you have?”
Personally, as an influencer myself, I couldn’t agree
more with Olivier’s sentiment. Don’t measure me by
my numbers; measure my work by its impact and
see where we can do things together that make
both of our communities stronger, more engaging,
and productive. I might not be Kendall Jenner
or PewDiePie, but I have earned the attention of
likeminded peers and we have formed a powerful
community even if it isn’t the largest online. Together
though, we make an impact.
Again, influence is grounded in social capital
and the relationships that flourish as a result of
thoughtful cultivation. Unfortunately, the social
media executive in the story didn’t take this
into account. When a new channel emerges,
marketers want to capitalize on it, and all too often
jump in before they know what they’re doing.
Unfortunately, this article illustrates that behavior
perfectly. Influencer marketing should be part of
an integrated strategy with defined expectations,
cost considerations, and success metrics. It is
important to take the time to determine who
you want to work with and understand how they
engage with their audience.
The Separation of
Influence: A View
of Influence from
Influencers and
Influence Marketers
“Influencer” is not only one of the biggest buzzwords
and efforts in digital marketing, it is also one
marketing’s biggest opportunities.
Where does influencer marketing sit
in the marketing organization?
Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Twitter, Snapchat, Blogs,
YouNow, YouTube, Periscope: each of these social
platforms only accelerates and expands the potential
for digital influence. At the same time, these platforms
scatter the attention and activity of consumers across
networks and apps, making them increasingly elusive,
and immune, to traditional marketing approaches. As
a result, marketers face increased pressure to reach
consumers. Influencers have built bridges between
brand and audience and marketers are starting to
increase efforts to reach new territories.
Among the influencer marketers we surveyed, we
aimed to see exactly where the responsibility for the
program is placed. Most notably, social marketing
accounts for the overwhelming majority of ownership
with 28.4%. Marketing communications was the
second most likely home with 15.7%. Interestingly,
13.7% of respondents reside in a dedicated function
for influencer marketing. However, influencer marketing
appears to be spread throughout the organization to
complement key marketing disciplines and initiatives.
What’s unclear however is to what extent, if any, these
efforts are coordinated.
In order to learn new expertise and discover how to
succeed in new paradigms, we have to study where
we are, what we don’t know, and also, most importantly,
we have to understand the world of influencer
engagement through the perspective of influencers
themselves. To do that, I partnered with TapInfluence,
the leading influencer marketing automation software
solution for brands and agencies.
Together, we studied the state of influencer marketing
by surveying marketers and then separately polling
influencers to get a balanced view. The insights were
compelling. When compared, they were also revealing.
6
“Most notably, social
marketing accounts for
the overwhelming majority
of ownership with 28.4%.”
Department
Response
Percent
PR
4.90%
Spans numerous departments
4.90%
Other
6.90%
Content Marketing
12.70%
Digital Marketing
12.70%
Influencer Marketing
13.70%
Marketing Communications
15.70%
Social Marketing
28.40%
Why Influencer Marketing?
Marketers
Influencers
Why do you feel influencer marketing is important?
What is it that your audience loves about your work?
What keeps them engaged?
(Rank in order of importance, 1 = most important)
More authentic storytelling for
our brand
2.22
Better reach to consumers
3.08
Offers a better return on investment than my other marketing
channels
3.71
Makes our brand feel more
plugged into digital communities
3.82
71.2%
37%
7%
A good alternative to traditional
advertising efforts
4.04
Helps us reach Millennials and
Centennials
4.14
The data shows good
alignment between what’s
important to marketers and
influencers –authenticity.
7
58.9%
63.8%
Other
7.0%
That I consistently post and stay on
top of what’s happening in the market
37.0%
That I interact with them, listen,
and respond online
58.9%
That I provide value by addressing
the things that they are interested in
63.8%
That I am myself, honest, funny,
open, willing to call it like I see it
71.2%
The data shows good alignment between what’s
important to marketers and influencers – authenticity.
Authenticity is at the heart of engagement in the social
web. Authentic engagement over time is how we earn
trust online (and in the real world). Marketers view
authentic storytelling as the most important aspect
of influencer marketing. Influencers believe that it’s an
honest and authentic voice that keeps their audience
engaged (71%). But more so, authenticity has to be
the foundation for consistently delivering value to and
engaging with communities.
The Types of Engagement
Marketers
Influencers
What are the most effective forms of influencer
marketing?
In what ways do brands typically want to reach your
audience?
Affiliate links
10.8%
Other
6.3%
Other
14.7%
Affiliate links
41.9%
Sponsored content
50%
Ambassadorships
52.5%
Event coverage
52.9%
Product reviews
70.9%
Brand mentions
53.9%
Sponsored content
81.7%
Product reviews
66.7%
Ongoing ambassadorships
70.6%
“Brands cite
ambassadorships
as the most effective
use of influencers.”
As you can see, there is some disconnect here
between what marketers perceive as the most
effective form of engagement and how they actually
engage influencers. Only 50% of brands see
sponsored content as an especially effective means
of influencer marketing, yet it is the most commonly
reported type of engagement among influencers
(82%).
While product reviews are an area where there is
alignment, brands cite ambassadorships as the most
effective use of influencers (71%), yet they are among
the lesser-used engagements (53%).
8
Marketers
What types of influencers do you find to be most
successful? (Rank in order of importance,
1 = most important)
Rating
Average
A popular person with a
significant and desirable audience
2.82
Those who are subject matter
experts regardless of follower
count
3.25
Those who act as ongoing
ambassadors
3.35
Those who have a
large following
4.43
Those who are highly
active online
4.83
Anyone who actively talks
about our market or brand
5.15
Those who are focused
on a single platform
6.64
A real world celebrity
6.70
Someone who always talks
about competitors
7.83
Influence isn’t necessarily tied to popularity.
According to influencer marketers, a large following
is not necessarily a predictor of success in influencer
marketing. It’s also important to consider how well
your brand, market, or product will resonate with
a given influencer’s audience. Marketers reported
that they were more successful when working with
influencers who are prolific on a variety of channels,
as opposed to those who limit themselves to
predominantly one platform or medium. 9
“It’s also important
to consider how
well your brand,
market, or product
will resonate with a
given influencer’s
audience.”
Challenges of Influencer Marketing
Marketers
What are some of your challenges in working with
influencers?
Other
13.7%
Communication during assignment
20.6%
Overall management of 3rd
party content creators
29.4%
Negotiating terms
30.4%
Finding ways that help them
engage their communities while
satisfying executive expectations
59.8%
Finding relevant influencers
67.6%
The biggest barriers to working with influencers
revolve around choosing who and how to engage.
68% of respondents indicated that they struggle
to source influencers who are relevant to their
organization or specific objectives. Additionally, 60%
of marketers find it difficult to balance the needs
of the influencer and his or her community against
leadership’s expectations for ROI and performance.
It’s also interesting that almost a third (29.4%) of
marketers cite everyday management of influencers
and content as a challenge. This suggests that
marketers have to consider program management and
metrics ahead of any program and get buy-in from
executives and influencers alike.
“The biggest barriers to
working with influencers
revolve around choosing
who and how to engage.”
10
What challenges does influencer marketing face
within the organization?
Other
13.7%
Lack of control over messaging
41.2%
Unaware of what it is
42.2%
No budget assigned
53.9%
Concern since it is new/
unproven channel
55.9%
Influencer marketing faces challenges that are not
unlike other emerging forms of digital, social and
mobile marketing. There’s a lot of work that needs to be
done in helping executives understand how influencer
marketing actually influencers markets, conversations
and decisions. Considering that all of the challenges
represent that it’s new; executives don’t know what it is,
how to value or believe in it and thus budgets are not
established accordingly. However, for those that are
already familiar with it, 41.2% of marketers cite lack of
control over messaging as a challenge.
“41.2% of marketers
cite lack of control
over messaging as
a challenge.”
Influencers
What are some of the biggest mistakes brands/
agencies make in working with you?
“Clearly, controlling
the message is
counterproductive.”
Other
16.7%
Requiring drafts for every post
24.5%
Requiring too many social shares or
sharing to every social channel
28%
Not providing adequate time
32%
Overly restrictive content guidelines
39.4%
Not offering adequate compensation
72.2%
Influencer marketing is new and faces many
challenges. On the marketing front, it’s unproven, which
requires pilot programs to demonstrate capabilities
and shape future budgets and expectations. At
the same time however, without pushing influencer
marketing strategies into new frontiers where influence
(cause and effect) becomes paramount, the ROI
potential can’t be achieved.
It’s also a bit ironic that influencers overwhelmingly cite
the number one mistake brands make is not “paying
them enough” whereas in the earlier “confessions”
story, we heard that they paid “too much” to
influencers. This highlights the difference in working
with a social celebrity versus an everyday influencer.
This is about impact. And impact isn’t just about
potential impressions. It’s about causing effect or
shaping behavioral trends.
But as you can see, money is just the beginning of this
story. Brands want to control messaging and content,
and influencers feel that marketers are too controlling.
This is a key point to highlight, influencers are followed
because of their authenticity, and brands stated this
is their number one priority. Clearly, controlling the
message is counter productive.
11
The Value of Influencer Marketing
Marketers
Influencers
How much budget do you assign to your influencers
per campaign?
What is the value of a typical engagement with
a brand?
$100,000
or More
Greater than
$25,000
$50,000$100,000
$10,000$25,000
$10,000$25,000
Free Product
in lieu of money
$5,000$10,000
$0$5,000
Under
$500
$1,000$5,000
Free
Product
in lieu of
money
$500$1,000
$25,000$50,000
$5,000$10,000
$50,000 - $100,000
5.7%
Greater than $25,000
0.5%
$100,000 or more
6.8%
$10,000 - $25,000
0.7%
$10,000 - $25,000
8%
$5,000 - $10,000
1%
Free product in lieu of money
13.6%
$1,000 - $5,000
6.6%
$25,000 - $50,000
14.8%
Free product in lieu of money
13.5%
$500 - $1,000
22.3%
Under $500
55.3%
$5,000 - $10,000
$0 - $5,000
17%
34.1%
Influencer budgets are still small but trending up and
to the right. While excited to help brands connect
with their followers, influencers are motivated
foremost by compensation (69%), yet cite a lack of
adequate compensation as the biggest issue in their
engagements with brands (72%). This makes sense,
given that a lack of budget is one of the biggest
challenges for marketers (54%). Obtaining that budget
is made harder because even though everyone is talking
about influencer marketing, when it comes to allocating
budget, it is still seen as largely unproven (56%).
12
Anyone who’s ever run a celebrity endorsement
program will tell you that deals start in the six
figures. But as you can see here, the value of an
influencer is modest. This is an opportunity to build
relationships early as many influencers are willing
to work harder when they have an established ongoing relationship with a brand. Again though, more
work must be done on all sides to prove the true
value of influence marketing.
Influencer Management
Marketers
Influencers
How do you manage influencers?
What are some of the most effective ways in which
brands work with you?
We use an influencer directory or
management team to source and
then handle internally
8%
Other
4.70%
Other
8%
Through an ad agency
16.80%
We use an influencer marketing
solution to handle all the details
14.8%
Through an agent
17.00%
We use an agency to handle
it for us
20.5%
Through an influencer
marketing platform
69.60%
We work directly with our
influencers or their management
73.9%
Through a PR agency or
influencer marketing agency
69.70%
Brand direct
73.10%
Marketers succeed in interacting directly with
influencers - their preferred means of managing an
engagement (73%). However, influencers are also very
receptive to working through PR agencies (70%) and
influencer marketing platforms (70%). With automated
solutions only a year old, brands haven’t fully caught
on to the myriad ways of successfully sourcing
and managing influencers. By taking the influencer
perspective, this will improve efficiencies and expand
management scenarios.
13
“Influencers are
also very receptive
to working through
PR agencies and
influencer marketing
platforms.”
Measuring Influencer Marketing
Marketers
Influencers
How do you measure success/ROI of your influencer
efforts? What data is important to measure? (Rank in
order of importance, 1 = most important)
How do you measure your influence/success in
your work with brands? (Rank in order of relevance,
1 = most relevant)
Engagement (comments on a blog
post, likes, shares, etc on social)
2.89
Traffic
3.21
Brand awereness
3.87
Shares of your post to
social channels
3.62
Sales lift
4.11
Re-engagement from brand for
additional assignments
3.83
Traffic
4.67
Impressions
3.84
Reach
4.74
Likes (or the equivalent)
3.86
Share of voice
5.07
Comments
4.74
Sentiment
5.28
Brand mentions
4.89
Impression
5.37
As a third party, influencers lack access to the
analytics at a campaign’s completion. Because of this,
they see an increase in traffic as the best measure of
success in their work with brands, while brands are
rightly looking at engagement on social as well as
other ‘brand awareness’ aka vanity metrics. Given that
influencer marketing most often resides within the
social marketing team (28%) it makes sense. But the
ROI of influencer marketing can be vastly improved by
first defining the “R” (return) as related to cause and
effect against a current measured state.
14
“The ROI of influencer
marketing can be vastly
improved by first defining
the “R” (return) as
related to cause and
effect against a current
measured state.”
Popular Platforms for Influencer Marketing
Marketers
What is your most important platform for you
(Rank in order of importance)?
3.22
3.36
3.91
4.26
4.43
5.78
6.11
7.57
Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Personal LinkedIn Pinterest Snapchat
Blog
1
8.02
Vine
8.33
Medium
10
(Most Important)
(Least Important)
Influencers
What is your most important platform for you
(Rank in order of importance)?
2.45
3.09
3.49
3.63
Personal Facebook Instagram Twitter
Blog
4.26
7.22
Pinterest Youtube LinkedIn
1
(Most Important)
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube are all in the
top ranks for the most popular influencer platforms.
While brands and influencers are generally in alignment
on which platforms are important on social, they should
be aware that influencers see their personal blogs as #1
above all other channels. Yes, blogs still matter!
15
5.95
7.56
Snapchat
8.12
9.24
Vine
Medium
10
(Least Important)
“... influencers see
their personal
blogs as #1 above
all other channels.”
Inspiration for Becoming an Influencer
Influencers
What inspired you to become an influencer?
Other
10.40%
To be recognized as a thought
leader in your field
36.50%
To build an online audience
or grow popularity
48.20%
To make an impact or
affect change
57.50%
To earn revenue
(part time or full time)
69.40%
Do brands ask you to publish a disclaimer per
FTC guidelines?
Never
Yes, all the time
Sometimes
Like their celebrity counterparts, influencers seek
revenue (69.4%). But that’s not their only driver. For
many of them, being an influencer is a part-time or fulltime job or a way of earning recognition or having an
impact. At the same time, many influencers wish to do
just that – influence. Your strategies should start with
a more thoughtful approach and an understanding of
what it is you wish to impact or change, and how they
can help you achieve it.
Do you work with brands who pay you to reach
your audience?
No, I am not interested
0.8%
I have but not in the past year
3.2%
No, but I would be open to it
18.5%
Yes, on a consistent basis
37.9%
Yes, sometimes
39.6%
Many online personalities and authorities are indeed
recognized and compensated for their online
presence when it comes to brand engagement. Just
under 80% of online influencers are either earning
marketing revenue consistently (37.9%) or on a
casual basis (39.6%).
16
Never
12.8%
Sometimes
35.1%
Yes, all the time
52.1%
Currently just over half of brands require disclaimers
for sponsored content, with another third asking for
them to be included, but not consistently. As influencer
marketing becomes more adopted by brands and
agencies, and the established rules and best practices
become more widely known, this number should
increase. It is mistakes like Lord & Taylor’s that will
bring broad industry awareness to legal requirements
surrounding influencer marketing.
Influencer Marketing
and the Road Ahead
Influencer marketing is the next big thing because it
works in ways that typical celebrity endorsements or
traditional content strategies missed – the ability to
elicit peer-to-peer action. In social media, celebrities
and creators can indeed influence. The hoverboard
and cosmetics case studies are two of the purest
examples of true social proof. And with each day that
passes, social media, and its influential voices, will only
continue to grow in authority and popularity.
In its own research, Twitter and analytics firm Annalect
found that consumers now trust digital influencers
nearly as much as their real world friends. Forty
percent of respondents said they’ve purchased an
item online after seeing it used by an influencer
on Instagram, Twitter, Vine or YouTube. On Niche, a
company Twitter acquired last year that develops
content on Vine, Instagram and other social platforms,
the number of influencers in the pool to choose from
has grown from 6,000 to more than 24,000 in a year.
Average deal size has also gone up, increasing 250%
with the number of monthly campaigns skyrocketing
300%.
It’s time to be more thoughtful and selective about
influencer marketing. And to quote Steve Covey, that
takes starting with “the end in mind” and working
backward to strategy, players and metrics.
In the realm of digital, influencer marketing is still
young. It’s only natural that there’s a learning curve,
for mistakes to be made and for new best practices
to take shape. If you think about it, it was only recently
that brand executives finally accepted that social
media itself wasn’t going to just go away. There
was some strange possibility in the minds of many
business leaders that the largest social networks were
just a temporary phase and that, I guess, we’d go back
to traditional forms of broadcast media.
Now that influencer marketing is part of the everyday
mix, it’s time to push it forward, try bolder experiments
and push engagement in ways that help brands and
influencers communicate authentically and effectively
for the benefit of all involved.
17
With the rate at which we’re seeing influencer impact
and budgets grow, this is bound to be a compelling
space that will, in a world of banner blindness and
ad blocking, become a real contender for marketing
dollars. To succeed, marketers must respect
influencers as well as the power of influence and the
value of social capital. The goal of any good marketer
should be to not only connect brand promise and
value to consumer want/need and aspiration, but
also to help influencers increase social capital
among their communities.
Methodology
This study was commissioned by TapInfluence
to understand the current state of influencer
marketing. Research was conducted by Altimeter,
a Prophet Company, using an anonymous online
questionnaire between February 26, 2016 and
April 29, 2016. In total, 1,753 influencers responded
and 102 marketers responded. We would like to
acknowledge Convince and Convert and Bryan
Kramer for distribution support.
This custom research report is sponsored by
TapInfluence. While the research in this report may
have been informed by TapInfluence, all findings
and analysis are independent and represent
Altimeter’s body of research.
About TapInfluence
TapInfluence facilitates real conversations
between people and brands by tapping into
the power of digital influencers and their
authentic content - allowing consumers,
influencers, and brands to Get Heard.
Over the last six years, TapInfluence has
amassed more influencer marketing and
social conversation data than anyone
else in the industry, giving our customers
access to the best influencers and
insights around, such as:
Largest marketplace of vetted, qualified
influencers, across the most social networks.
Deep audience insights to identify with laser
focus which influencers effectively reach
target consumers.
Robust influencer profiles that help you find
influencers who will convincingly carry your
brand message in their authentic voice.
Performance data on hundred of thousands
of influencers and programs.
Visit www.tapinfluence.com for more
information or to get a demo.